The Fine Color of Rust

Loretta Boskovic never dreamed she would end up a single mother with two kids in a dusty Australian country town. She never imagined she’d have to campaign to save the local primary school. She certainly had no idea her best friend would turn out to be the crusty old junk man. All in all, she’s starting to wonder if she took a wrong turn somewhere. If only she could drop the kids at the orphanage and start over...

But now, thanks to her protest letters, the Education Minister is coming to Gunapan, and she has to convince him to change his mind about the school closure. And as if facing down the government isn’t enough, it soon becomes clear that the school isn’t the only local spot in trouble. In the drought stricken bushland on the outskirts of town, a luxury resort development is about to siphon off a newly discovered springwater supply. No one seems to know anything, no one seems to care.

With a dream lover on a Harley unlikely to appear out of nowhere to save the day, Loretta needs to stir the citizens of Gunapan to action. She may be short of money, influence, and a fully functioning car, but she has good friends. Together they can organize chocolate drives, supermarket sausage sizzles, a tour of the abattoir—whatever it takes to hold on to the scrap of world that is home.

A delightful novel for fans of Jennifer Weiner, Fannie Flagg, and Maeve Binchy, The Fine Color of Rust is a wonderful reminder that sometimes it really does take a village—and a healthy dose of humor—to change the world.

My thoughts...

Loretta's story begins with her thinking about dumping her kids in an orphanage and riding off on a harley with the perfect lover. The reality is she's dealing with a car that's a lemon, goats (I'll let you read about them) and always wanting to do what's right. Her best friend is an old junk man.

The citizens of dry, dusty, struggling town of Gunapan are unique, Loretta wants to keep their local school from closing and she sets off on a campaign to save it! Lots of chuckles throughout the book, some tears, good characters, interesting plot. The perfect summer read. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received an ecopy of this book free from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury

Coming Home is a novel about tremendous victory and unprecedented loss, a story of faith and a forever kind of love, love that will stay with you long after the last page. This stand-alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter Family.

The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven’t had in years. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter Family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief-stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when otherwise darkness might have the final word.

In a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows even the valley of heartache as the Baxters draw closer to God and each other. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the truth about the Baxter Family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God’s promise of forever.

My thoughts...

Kingsbury has such a way with words, the characters are more like friends than people you're reading about in a book. This is probably the saddest book I've ever read, you'll need two boxes of tissue for this one. In spite of the sorrow it is a very well written conclusion of the Baxter family series.

The Baxters have survived several tragedies and this one tops the list. I won't give anything away but it took me by surprise. As the family gathers to celebrate the father's 70th birthday they all write a letter filled with memories and tell him how much they love him and what he means to them. It turns out everyone can come though they're are spread out across the country. Minutes before the party something happens that will change their lives forever. Kingsbury did a good job of showing how God can bring something good out of bad.

I've read many of Kingsbury's books, each one has touched my heart, this one is no different. I give this one 5 out of 5 stars.

I received an ecopy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Litfuse Publicity Group Tour for Lucy Come Home by Neta Jackson

Fifteen-year-old Cindy worked long days beside her migrant worker family in Michigan's sugar beet fields in the early 1940s -- the "war years" -- until she met a dashing young man from a traveling carnival, bringing some joy and fun into her hard-scrabble life. But a tragic twist of fate -- and a dead field boss-- sent the two young people on the run, leaving behind family and everything she'd ever known.

Lucy Tucker, the crotchety old bag lady from the popular Yada Yada House of Hope series, is a veteran of Chicago streets and not about to give up her independence, even as she approaches her 80th birthday. Until, that is, a young displaced woman with her gentle aging mother and a dog named Dandy seem to need her -- unsettling the secretive Lucy, who doesn't let anyone get to close. But just when it seems her past is catching up with her to bring her in out of the cold... Lucy disappears again.

How these two tales intersect and intertwine between past and present gradually shines light into the dark corners of Lucy's murky past. But... why won't Lucy come home?

My thoughts...

Now we know the rest of the story. Not only Lucy's childhood but her early years as well as what was happening during her disappearances in the recent books. Lucy has an interesting story and I'm so glad Neta has given us this look into her life.

Lucy and her carnie boyfriend run away after her boss is murdered. They leave family behind and don't look back. It's a really sad story considering they didn't have to run at all. The things they go through are heartwrenching.

If you've read the Yada Yada Prayer Group series as well as the House of Hope series you won't be disappointed in this one. If you haven't I highly recommend them!! I give Lucy Come Home 4 stars.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The First Gardener

Jeremiah Williams has been tending the gardens of the Tennessee governor’s mansion for over twenty-five years. And like most first families who have come and gone, this one has stolen his heart.

Mackenzie and her husband, Governor Gray London, have struggled for ten years to have a child and are now enjoying a sweet season of life—anticipating the coming reelection and sending their precious daughter, Maddie, off to kindergarten—when a tragedy tears their world apart. As the entire state mourns, Mackenzie falls into a grief that threatens to swallow her whole.

Though his heart is also broken, Jeremiah realizes that his gift of gardening is about far more than pulling weeds and planting flowers. It’s about tending hearts as well. As he uses the tools that have been placed in his hands, he gently begins to cultivate the hard soil of Mackenzie’s heart, hoping to help her realize what it took him years to discover.

A Southern tale of loss, love, and living, The First Gardner reminds us that all of life is a gift, but our heart is the most valuable gift of all.

My thoughts...

Denise Hildreth is one of my favorite authors, I loved Flies on the Butter and after reading The First Gardener it's one of my favorite books. A sad story of the loss of a child and how God used an old gardener and flowers to heal a broken heart.

Tennessee Governor Gray Landon and his wife, Mackenzie, have a daughter after years of trying to get pregnant. The child is killed in a car accident and Mackenzie sinks deep into a depression, her will to live is gone.

Jeremiah is the gardener and he grows the most beautiful flowers, he's also an instrument God uses to heal broken hearts. Finding out at the end of the book where his home is took my by surprise and made me sad for him.

This is a beautiful story with wonderful characters, Hildreth has captured the depths of Mackenzie's hopelessness, the pain and grief this family suffers. If you're a crier, have your box of tissue ready. This is a 5 out 5 stars book!

The Butterfly Cabinet

When former nanny Maddie McGlade receives a letter from the last of her charges, she realizes the time has come to unburden herself of a secret she has kept for more than seventy years: the truth behind the death of Charlotte Ormond, the four-year-old daughter of the wealthy household where Maddie was employed as a young woman. Based on chilling events that actually took place in the north of Ireland in 1892, The Butterfly Cabinet is a sterling example of dark, emotionally complex fiction.

My thoughts...

Based on a true crime The Butterfly Cabinet is a haunting tale told through the mother's prison journal and the house maid's recollections. How sad that Harriet was not the mother she should've been, she didn't really know how to love (or care) for a child yet she had nine. Her parents never showed affection and that was all she knew.

Harriet's daughter is locked in a closet as punishment and dies. She is sentenced to prison for murder. McGill writes in a way that makes you feel compassion for this woman. Years later the nanny finally reveals the mystery surrounding the child's death.

This is a book where the description sounds better than the book actually is. I found parts of it boring and hard to get through, the suspense is lacking. It's a good read but not a great one, therefore, it gets 4 out 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest review.

Crazy Dangerous

"You probably want to hear about Jennifer and the demons and how I played chicken with a freight train and—oh yeah—the weird murder . . . you're definitely going to want to hear about that."

Sam Hopkins is a good kid who has fallen in with a bad crowd. Hanging around with car thieves and thugs, Sam knows it’s only a matter of time before he makes one bad decision too many and gets into real trouble.

But one day, Sam sees them harassing an eccentric schoolmate of his named Jennifer. When Sam finds the courage to face the bullies down, he loses a bad set of friends and acquires a very strange new one.

Because Jennifer is not just eccentric. To Sam, she seems downright crazy. She has terrifying hallucinations involving demons and the devil and death. And here’s the really crazy part: Sam is beginning to suspect that these visions may actually be prophecies—prophecies of something terrible that’s going to happen very soon. Unless he can stop it.

With no one to believe him, with no one to help him, Sam is now all alone in a race against time. Finding the truth before disaster strikes is going to be both crazy and very, very dangerous.

My thoughts...

This book is enjoyable to youth as well as adults. Sam is a good boy who falls into the wrong crowd. He defends and befriends a girl who is being bullied and things get crazy dangerous from that point on. The characters are real and likeable.

There's enough suspense to keep you thinking about it even when you had to put the book down. Good plot with lots of twists, Biblical inferences, and information. I finished reading it in one evening.

I liked the ending, especially the words from the stranger.

I received an ecopy of this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Hope Springs

In a small community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go. Publisher's Weekly had this to say about Hope Springs: In this engaging novel, Tate expertly crafts an intriguing narrative that explores unrequited love, true faith, and the complicated politics of change in the Christian church.

There are many characters, as intimated by the two family trees that open the book, but a lot of plot comes packed with nearly all of them-sisters, cousins, and all.

My thoughts...

This is an uplifting, Christ-oriented book that deals with faith, love, and race. I loved the way the characters were focused on Jesus and following the plans He has for their lives. There are parts that had me stoppping to worship. There are a lot of characters and it was a little confusing at first to get to know them all but after a bit you do.

Grandma Geri's family are coming for Christmas but the unexpected death of their neighbor and good friend, Pastor Jim, brings them in early and even brings in more of the family than expected. There is a common bond between Geri's family and Pastor Jim's which isn't revealed til the end of the book.
It was not expected.

The romances are predictable but still enjoyable to read about. The two young pastors bring a lot into the story as they try to unite this small community.

I received a copy of this book free from the Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.